place

Blue Heron Park

Nature centers in New York CityParks in Staten Island

Blue Heron Park is a nature refuge on the South Shore of Staten Island, New York. It has various natural areas including meadows, kettle ponds, freshwater streams and marshes, and woodlands. The park, maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, was acquired by the city in several parcels between 1974 and 2001, with the official dedication taking place on October 22, 1996. The extensive wetlands in the park are part of the Blue Belt, an area of Staten Island which utilizes existing and improved undeveloped areas for storm water drainage. There are six ponds located within the park including the 1.75-acre (7,100 m2) Spring Pond and the 1.4-acre (5,700 m2) Blue Heron Pond The park provides habitat to various species of birds including the Blue heron (Ardea herodias) for which it was named as well as various species of mammals such as bats, raccoons, grey squirrels and chipmunks. The visitors center for the park located off Poillon Ave, is the starting point for three trails which traverse different areas of the park.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Blue Heron Park (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors).

Blue Heron Park
Eylandt Street, New York Staten Island

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Blue Heron ParkContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 40.531447222222 ° E -74.174622222222 °
placeShow on map

Address

Eylandt Street

Eylandt Street
10312 New York, Staten Island
New York, United States
mapOpen on Google Maps

Share experience

Nearby Places

South Shore, Staten Island
South Shore, Staten Island

The South Shore is a geographical term applied to the area in the New York City borough of Staten Island, south and east of the island's ridge of hills (and Richmond Creek and Fresh Kills south of Historic Richmond Town) along the waterfront and adjacent areas from the Narrows to the mouth of the Arthur Kill. Many observers prefer to restrict its scope to the neighborhoods located between the shoreline of Raritan Bay on one side and Richmond Creek and Fresh Kills on the other, thus encompassing the neighborhoods of Great Kills to Tottenville only. Those who use this narrower definition of the "South Shore" prefer the term "East Shore" for the communities that lie along Lower New York Bay, and inland for approximately 2 to 2+1⁄2 miles, from Bay Terrace and Richmondtown to as far north as Grasmere and Concord. The South Shore (under the narrower definition) is represented in the New York City Council by Joe Borelli. Geologically, the area is an outwash plain of glacial sediment formed from the edge of the terminal moraine, and continues as an underwater shoal into Lower New York Bay, where it was a prime oystering ground in the 19th century. Prior to the 1960s, the South Shore was undeveloped. After the building of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, the South Shore experienced rapid urbanization and its population rose sharply. The population is predominantly white, but according to census data has been growing more heterogeneous in recent years. Many residents are of Italian, Irish, English, and Jewish descent, with a massive boom to the Italian population in the 1980s and 1990s. The area generally has a low crime rate except for thefts. Truancy, however, is a recurring problem.Commerce was previously dominated by small businesses despite the presence of Hylan Boulevard running along the eastern boundary of the South Shore. However, a number of shopping centers have been built over the last decade. The area is still known for small businesses, including 24-hour delis, pork stores, pizzerias, cafés, gourmet food shops, and a number of independently owned pharmacies, florists, hair, tanning and nail salons, paint stores, and car repair shops.